Kansas City, Missouri: An American of Palestinian origin has made history by becoming the first individual with autism to sign a professional contract with a Major League Baseball (MLB) club, having penned a deal with 2015 World Series champions Kansas City Royals.
Raised in San Marino, California, the outfielder has spent the last two seasons with the Empire Pro Baseball League.
This is not the first time El-Abour has been involved with the Royals organization — last April he helped the club host Autism Night at the Kauffman Stadium, even throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.
While not an elite prospect, or expected to get out of the minors for the ongoing 2018 season, his prospects are good — especially considering his condition. His mother, Nadia Khalil, told Yahoo Sports: “That is when I started to see the workings of the autistic mind,” said Khalil. “I started to see how numbers had a lot to do with how he thinks. Those of us without autism think in concepts, he thinks in numbers. The greater the number of times he did anything, the better he was at it. Just like us.
“However, the way the numbers worked in his mind went way further than anything I could have yet imagined. He knew he had to practice. He knew he loved it. He told me that when he grew up and played baseball, he would buy me a house wherever he plays, so that I could watch his games live.
“He did not know yet how different he was. He did not know yet how autism was going to speak for him before he could speak for himself.”
In 2016, El-Abour was named the Empire League’s Rookie of the Year after batting .323 in 122 plate appearances and in 2017, he won a championship with the Plattsburgh Red Birds.
American-Palestinian becomes first MLB professional with autism
American-Palestinian becomes first MLB professional with autism
- Autism is a condition that affects 3.5 million Americans in a variety of ways
- El-Abour becomes first with condition to sign in Major League history
Artificial Intelligence in cricket’s landscape is here to stay
- AI is transforming the way that matches are approached, played, and, increasingly, how teams are managed
The revelation that the England’s women’s cricket team used artificial intelligence in its selection process has attracted attention in the English press. It should not have done so. During the announcement of the England women’s squads to play Pakistan in May, the head coach, Jon Lewis, said that during the Ashes series in 2023, AI proved to be very helpful in several selections. As an example, a decision was made in relation to two players who were in very good form. They were equally selectable, but AI guided a borderline decision which proved to be crucial.
Purists will, no doubt, wring their hands at the thought of selectors abrogating responsibility to a machine outcome. If they fear that teams are being selected entirely by a machine rather than humans, they are likely to have to wait a little longer. Selectors and coaches remain people oriented, needing to understand a player’s individual state and motivation at any given time. Data about performance is used to supplement that knowledge. This has always been the case. Averages, though not perfect, have long been used to guide selection and many a captain and coach has kept a “black book” to record the strengths, weaknesses and idiosyncrasies of opponents.
However, enhanced computing power and programs, coupled with the recording of longer runs of historic data, have combined to create an explosion of analytical capability over the last 15 years. AI’s simulation of human intelligence, based on quick processing of large data sets, generates learning on which intelligent decisions can be made. Such outcomes can provide an objective view of what could happen in certain situations between a batter and a bowler, based upon what happened in previous encounters. This leads to so-called “matchups,” in which one or the other is targeted by someone they do not perform so well against. There is nothing new in this approach, but data analysis allows much more precise assessments to be made.
There are now armies of data analysts in cricket and T20 franchise tournaments have been at the root of their proliferation. This has been especially prevalent in India, driven by the Indian Premier League, the fervent interest in the game amongst the Indian population and the country’s ever burgeoning IT capabilities.
The use of AI outcomes is transforming the way that matches are approached, played, and, increasingly, how teams are managed. It is argued that better informed decisions will enhance human capabilities, particularly in situations where split-second decisions determine the outcome of a game. It is not easy to comprehend how AI is going to help a captain make a split-second decision on the last ball or two of a match. Surely, it is then down to human instinct and calculation.
In terms of selection, AI is already being used, especially in terms of attempting to generate matchups. One area in which it could present clarity is in assessing pitch conditions, a variable which can confound captains and match planners. Those who may resent AI’s growing influence must realize that it is already ubiquitous in the game.
An early manifestation was Hawk-Eye, back in 2001. This multi-camera setup tracks the flight of a ball and predicts what will happen to it next. It has been used in cricket for more than 20 years and is an integral part of the Decision Review System, now a fixture of cricket’s international landscape. Under this, a batter or fielding side can request that a decision of the on-field umpire can be reviewed by an off-field umpire using off-field technology. None of this would be possible to achieve without prior analysis of multiple previous examples of ball tracking.
There are less obvious applications of AI, at least to the spectator. Wearable technology is one. In cricket and other sports, wearables are used to monitor health and fitness. AI algorithms analyze the data to provide intelligence on a player’s health, injury potential and an appropriate training regime. In recruitment, much more detailed and extensive data is available for analysis than ever before about a player’s performance and suitability for a team.
One aspect of AI which fans will recognize is that of ever-increasing efforts to engage them more. Algorithms generate personalized content, manage ticket pricing and generate chatbots to provide real-time, personalized responses to queries, all aiming to enhance the overall fan experience. A part of this revolves around score and result prediction. These have become increasingly prevalent and accurate, of particular relevance to the betting community. They base calculations on how players and teams have performed against opposition previously and train the model accordingly.
If this is sounding too unlike some people’s previous understanding, association and understanding of cricket, in which uncertainty and unpredictability loomed large, then best gear up for the future. There, we can expect a leveraging of the most advanced technologies to T20 cricket. In-play algorithms will analyze in-game strategies, predict outcomes and suggest strategic adjustments. The age of the commentator is under threat.
Customized training programs for players will be augmented by their emotional and psychological state. They will train in virtual environments which simulate match conditions, including crowd noise. Wearables will incorporate sensors which provide real-time data on player health, performance and potential injury areas, with personal treatment plans and diets designed to ensure faster recovery. Clothing will adapt to weather conditions so as to maintain optimal temperatures (spectators might do the same!). Smart helmets will monitor impacts and send back data. Sensors on helmets and other equipment will provide more detailed data.
Already, every movement of every player is monitored on the field. Off-field monitoring is likely to increase. The players are well paid, so most are likely to accept. There has been concern in the 2024 IPL about the domination of bat over ball. One unnamed player suggested that a bowling machine should replace bowlers. However tongue in cheek the comment, the IPL seems headed toward a robotic future. The rest of the world needs to wake to this prospect.
Saudi Smash 2024 set for big final weekend in Jeddah
- Patrick Franziska mounts sensational comeback against world No. 2 Fan Zhendong from China in ‘Match of the Tournament’ contender
- Standfirst 2: 6 of women’s top 10 progress to quarterfinals with India’s Manika Batra beating another top seed
JEDDAH: The top contenders in the Saudi Smash 2024 tournament are starting to emerge after day five saw Germany’s Patrick Franziska steal the show at King Abdullah Sports City with a sensational comeback against the more favored Fan Zhendong of China in the men’s singles.
There are a series of Saudi Smash quarterfinal showdowns locked in for Thursday’s day six after some exceptional matches on day five, which included the conclusion of the mixed doubles semifinals.
Organized by the Saudi Table Tennis Federation and World Table Tennis in collaboration with the Ministry of Sport, Saudi Smash is the newest WTT Grand Smash event and one of three major WTT Series tournaments.
It was a particularly memorable day for Franziska. Down 2-0 following a relentless start from the Chinese second seed in game three, the German world No. 16 stunned his opponent to level the match 2-2.
A back-and-forth battle then commenced in the fifth and final game. With Zhendong 9-10 up and one shot from victory, Franziska reeled off three successive points to take the last 12-10 and seal a first win over his opponent in five years.
“It feels pretty amazing to get through. Fan crushed me the last time we played and I didn’t have much chance against him,” Franziska said. “He was well-prepared heading into today and was very powerful in the first two sets — his forehand was destroying me. But in the end, I played more aggressively and kept going. That’s the thing against the top Chinese players; you always have to believe, keep fighting, and take your chance when it comes.”
There were 26 matches on day five across all sub-events as world No. 1 Wang Chuqin remained on course for back-to-back Grand Smash titles by booking his place in the men’s singles quarterfinals.
Competition is intense for the men’s singles championship with French fifth seed Felix Lebron and Germany’s Dang Qiu amongst those in flying form.
There are also some big encounters in the women’s singles with six of the world’s top 10 players featuring in Thursday’s day six quarterfinals. Among those in contention are China’s Sun Yingsha, Wang Yidi and Chen Meng, as well as Japan’s Hina Hayata, Miwa Harimoto and Mima Ito.
World No. 10 Ito reached the quarterfinals after her showdown with fellow Japanese star and 23 seed Miyuu Kihara.
Speaking after the most eagerly anticipated last-16 match in the women’s singles, Ito revealed: “I’ve been playing with Miyuu for years although it’s been a long time since we played against each other. We were both nervous out there because it was a big match and we know one another so well. For me, my decision-making at key moments led to winning points. It was a hard match, but I was able to calm myself down and make it through. I’m looking forward to the next round and I believe I’m getting stronger and stronger.”
India’s Manika Batra also continued her sensational Saudi Smash run on Wednesday. Having knocked out the women’s world No. 2 and reigning Singapore Smash champion on Monday, she continued her blistering form with a 3-0 win against German 14th seed Nina Mittelham to reach the last eight.
“I’m really proud that I played my best after beating Wang Manyu in the previous round,” said Batra, who had never won a WTT Grand Smash match until Saudi Smash. “That match was really important for me and I was so elated afterwards that I really had to ground myself and regain full focus. The experience I’ve built so far in this tournament allowed me to produce once again today. Everything is going so well. I love this country and I’m so grateful for the support I’ve received.”
Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha sealed their place in the mixed doubles final with a 3-0 win against Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto and Hina Hayata. They face China’s Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem in Thursday’s final — the first of five finals across the weekend schedule.
Jalen Brunson returns from foot injury, sparks Knicks past Pacers for 2-0 lead in East semifinals
- Brunson fell short of becoming the second player in NBA history to score 40 or more points in five straight playoff games
- The Knicks paid tribute to Reed’s return, one of the most memorable moments in NBA and Madison Square Garden history, during the first quarter
NEW YORK: Jalen Brunson left the locker room on an injured leg, walked onto the court and sent the Madison Square Garden crowd into a frenzy, just as Willis Reed had exactly 54 years earlier.
As the roars turned into “MVP! MVP!” chants, Brunson tried to block out the pain in his body and the noise all around him as he warmed up at halftime.
“It was really cool to hear, but I just knew that I had to get my mind in the right place to figure out how I was going to attack the second half,” Brunson said.
He shook off his right foot injury to score 24 of his 29 points in the final two quarters, leading the New York Knicks to a 130-121 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night for a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
On the anniversary of Reed’s dramatic emergence from the locker room before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals to lead the Knicks to their first title, Brunson had missed the entire second quarter while the Pacers surged ahead to a double-figure lead.
Reed’s teammates have said they didn’t know if he would play that night. Brunson’s had no doubt.
“I mean, he’s a warrior. That’s all I got,” Donte DiVincenzo said. “There was no doubt in my mind that he’ll be back. All season long, no matter what is thrown at him, injury bug or whatever, he always bounces back. And we knew the severity of the game and everything, so we knew, everybody had confidence he was coming back.”
Brunson fell short of becoming the second player in NBA history to score 40 or more points in five straight playoff games, but he gave the Knicks everything they needed to move halfway to their first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 2000.
“He’s a great leader, so I think the players all have respect for that, when a guy goes out and is willing to give whatever he has, and so that says a lot about him,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.
OG Anunoby added a career playoff-high 28 points before leaving with a left hamstring injury in the third quarter for the injury-riddled Knicks, who have already lost three key players to season-ending injuries.
But they got Brunson back and received huge efforts again from his two Villanova teammates. DiVincenzo scored 28 points and Josh Hart had 19 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists for the No. 2-seeded Knicks.
Tyrese Haliburton rebounded from a poor Game 1 with 34 points, nine assists and six rebounds for the Pacers, who finished the game without coach Rick Carlisle after he got two technical fouls and was ejected.
“Small-market teams deserve an equal shot,” Carlisle said during a postgame complaint about the officiating. “They deserve a fair shot no matter where they are playing.”
The series moves to Indiana for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday.
Former Knicks forward Obi Toppin added 20 points in another strong effort by Indiana’s reserves, but the Pacers hurt themselves by shooting just 10 for 17 (59 percent) from the free throw line.
Knicks fans profanely jeered Pacers Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, an enemy from the heated 1990s era of this playoff rivalry who was calling the game as part of TNT’s crew, during a delirious finish to what had been a nervous first half, when Brunson was missing for the entire second quarter.
He had made a 3-pointer for a 24-13 lead in the first quarter, giving the Knicks 10 baskets in their first 14 shots in a blistering start. But after Toppin made one for the Pacers on the other end, Brunson began waving to the bench for a substitution as he ran down the court on offense. That was early in an 11-0 run by Indiana to tie it, and it was tied again at 36 after Toppin made three free throws with 0.3 seconds remaining.
The Pacers then made 15 of 22 shots in the second quarter in Brunson’s absence, outscoring the Knicks 37-27 to take a 73-63 lead.
Brunson would only say he felt some discomfort and that once he warmed up, he knew he was going back into the game.
“I had a decision to make and I made a decision,” Brunson said.
Indiana’s lead was 79-70 before the Knicks stormed ahead with a 14-0 run, with Brunson contributing a three-point play during it as New York went ahead 84-79.
Anunoby was hurt soon after, appearing to injure his hamstring while trying to finish a fast-break layup, but Brunson guided the Knicks through the finish with 14 points in the fourth quarter.
With All-Star Julius Randle gone to shoulder surgery and key reserves Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic lost in the playoffs, the Knicks have been relying on their starters to play major minutes — all 48 of them for Hart in both games of the series.
So they can’t afford to play without Brunson, who finished fifth in the voting for MVP that Nikola Jokic won Wednesday.
He had joined Jerry West, Michael Jordan and Bernard King as the only players with at least four straight 40-point games in the playoffs, and came in as the leading scorer in the postseason with 36.6 points per game.
Brunson ended up getting fairly close to that despite playing only 32 minutes, saying afterward that teammates were teasing him with Reed jokes.
Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Knicks, forced to play 39 minutes after the Knicks announced Tuesday that Robinson would miss at least six weeks with a stress injury to his left ankle.
The Knicks paid tribute to Reed’s return, one of the most memorable moments in NBA and Madison Square Garden history, during the first quarter. His No. 19 jersey, hanging in the rafters, was spotlighted, and Hall of Fame teammate Walt Frazier came onto the court for an ovation.
Spanish judge confirms Rubiales will stand trial for kiss on player after Women’s World Cup final
- The judge in January found sufficient evidence to also believe Rubiales also unsuccessfully pressured Hermoso to appear in a video he produced and published while public outroar grew against him
- A trial date has not been set
MADRID: Former Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales will stand trial on charges of sexual assault and coercion for kissing forward Jenni Hermoso without her consent after last year’s Women’s World Cup final, a Spanish judge confirmed Wednesday.
Judge Francisco de Jorge had ruled in January that Rubiales’ kiss was “unconsented and carried out unilaterally and in a surprising fashion.” Spanish news agency EFE reported that he has confirmed the charges.
Prosecutors seek a prison sentence of two and a half years for Rubiales for the alleged sexual assault and for allegedly trying to coerce Hermoso to publicly support him amid the public backlash following the World Cup decider in Sydney.
The judge also ruled that former Spain coach Jorge Vilda, the sports director of Spain’s men’s team, Albert Luque, and the federation’s former head of marketing, Ruben Rivera, will also stand trial for trying to pressure Hermoso, EFE said.
The judge in January found sufficient evidence to also believe Rubiales also unsuccessfully pressured Hermoso to appear in a video he produced and published while public outroar grew against him.
A trial date has not been set.
FIFA banned Rubiales for three years until after the men’s 2026 World Cup. His ban will expire before the next women’s tournament in 2027. Spain’s sports authority also ruled him unfit to hold a post in sports management for three years.
Olympic torch begins journey across France after festive welcome in Marseille before Summer Games
- French Olympic swimmer Florent Manaudou became the first torch carrier in France after the Olympic flame arrived in Marseille’s Old Port
- Marseille’s Mayor Benoit Payan said that more than 230,000 people attended Wednesday’s ceremony
MARSEILLE, France: Tens of thousands of people welcomed the Olympic torch Wednesday in the southern French city of Marseille, marking another milestone in the leadup to the Summer Games in Paris.
French Olympic swimmer Florent Manaudou became the first torch carrier in France after the Olympic flame arrived in Marseille’s Old Port on a majestic three-mast ship from Greece for the welcoming ceremony amid tight security.
The ship sailed into Marseille’s old port with the French national anthem “La Marseillaise” echoing from the embankment and a French Air force flyover with planes first drawing the five Olympic rings and then the red-blue-white colors of the nation’s flag.
The ship docked on a pontoon resembling an athletics track and Manaudou carried the torch to mainland France. He handed it to French Paralympic sprinter Nantenin Keita, who won a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, to carry it to rapper Jul, a Marseille native, who lit a cauldron as tens of thousands cheered on the shore and thousands of others waved from balconies and windows.
“We can be proud,” said President Emmanuel Macron, who attended the ceremony to welcome the torch.
“The flame is on French soil,” Macron said. “The games are coming to France and are entering the lives of the French people.”
Marseille’s Mayor Benoit Payan said that more than 230,000 people attended Wednesday’s ceremony.
“Tonight, the people of Marseille won the first gold medal of these Olympic Games,” Payan said, beaming with pride.
The torch was lit in Greece last month before it was officially handed to France. It left Athens aboard a ship named Belem, which was first used in 1896, and spent twelve days at sea.
Paris 2024 Olympics Organizing Committee President Tony Estanguet said the return of the Olympic Games to France was cause for a “fantastic celebration.”
“As a former athlete, I know how important the start of a competition is. That is why we chose Marseille, because it’s definitely one of the cities most in love with sports,” added Estanguet, a former Olympic canoeing star with gold medals from the 2000, 2004 and 2012 Games.
Safety of visitors and residents has been a top priority for authorities in Marseille, France’s second largest city with nearly a million inhabitants. About 8,000 police officers have been deployed around the harbor.
Thousands of firefighters and bomb disposal squads have been positioned around the city along with maritime police and anti-drone teams patrolling the city’s waters and its airspace.
“It’s a monumental day and we have been working hard for visitors and residents of Marseille to enjoy this historical moment,” said Yannick Ohanessian, the city’s deputy mayor.
The torch relay will start on Thursday in Marseille, before heading to Paris through iconic places across the country, from the world-famous Mont Saint-Michel to D-Day landing beaches in Normandy and the Versailles Palace.
Heavy police and military presence was seen patrolling Marseille’s city center Tuesday, as a military helicopter flew over the Old Port, where a range of barriers have been set up.
French Interior Ministry spokesperson Camille Chaize said officials were prepared for security threats including terrorism.
“We’re employing various measures, notably the elite National Gendarmerie Intervention Group unit, which will be present in the torch relay from beginning to end,” she said.
The Olympic cauldron will be lit after the Games’ opening ceremony that will take place on the River Seine on July 26.
The cauldron will be lit at a location in Paris that is being kept top-secret until the day itself. Among reported options are such iconic spots as the Eiffel Tower and the Tuileries Gardens outside the Louvre Museum.
